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Friday, December 13, 2013

This is my fourth Sew Sweetness bag and all the patterns have been easy to follow with great results! Sarah and Sew, Mama, Sew are sponsoring a bag-making contest using Sew Sweetness patterns. There have been dozens of gorgeous bags entered! Check them out here.

Here is my version of the free Sawyer Bag tutorial from Sew Sweetness. This is a simple, tote style bag that measures approx. 16"L x 14"w x 3"D. It has long accent handle strips and O-ring hardware for some detail. It would be a great beginner bag or quick gift. This bag took about 4 hrs to sew because of the quilting, but otherwise would be about a 2 hr project.

I like to have a bag closure and decided to add a recessed zippered top panel. I used a technique similar to this tutorial from Charmed Liebling. It would also be quick & easy to add a magnetic snap closure instead. No pockets are included in the original pattern, so I added a double patch pocket and zippered pocket inside, along with a key clasp. I also substituted D-rings, as I could not find O-rings locally.

I am a very novice quilter, but I was inspired after seeing some Quilt-as-you-go blocks, as shown in this tutorial (also a great bag pattern!) and this one. I had purchased a big bag of designer scraps from the Michael Levine Loft store in LA for only $2 and thought this would be a perfect chance to use them. Most of the fabrics I chose were in greens & blues from Free Spirit designers. Both the front and back panels are quilted.

The quilting was done on cotton batting. I used Pellon 70 to add stiffness and shape to the lining and a heavy interfacing for the straps. I like to use one of my older, mechanical sewing machines, a Viking 1010 or Pfaff 360, for bag-making. They are great for sewing through heavy fabrics & interfacings, something my low-end Janome can't handle.

If one can ignore the not-so-straight quilting and imperfect rectangles, this is a fantastic bag! I am really happy with it. It will be hard to give away this Christmas!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day is here again! I've enjoyed visiting hundreds of blogs during their Giveaway Days and even won a few prizes along the way. I'm happy you've found your way to Mama Lusco Handmade.

Jocole's Ladies A-Line Yoga Skirt

I'm a busy wife, registered nurse and mom of 3 who enjoys sewing clothing and bags. Someday I'd like to try quilting, but at this point I enjoy quick, easy sewing projects. My blog has been somewhat neglected the past 2 years, but I share my sewing projects, pattern & product reviews and host giveaways here on the blog.

Self-drafted Guitar Bag

I am most active on my Facebook page and would love to have you following! I'm also on Pinterest here, where I love to share free patterns & tutorials for bags, clothing, kids, toys and home décor.

Swoon Rosie Bag

This Giveaway Day, I am offering A set of Pink Fig patterns, the Olivia top No. 3 and the Sweet Heart pants No. 16. These paper patterns are new and uncut, for sizes 12 mo - 10 yrs. I'm also including a set of jumbo ric-rac, perfect for trimming the patterns. To enter, please tell me what you like to sew and leave a link to your favorite free tutorial. A winner will be chosen randomly on Dec 13th at 5 pm, PST. Good luck and I'd love for you to follow the blog, on Facebook, or Pinterest.

Enjoy visiting all the blogs during Giveaway Day. Return to Sew, Mama, Sew blog to find more links. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Well, friends, today is the last day to enter a bag for Purse Palooza 2013. I finally finished a bag on my gift-sewing list today, the OSU Beaver Aragon bag﻿.

This bag is made using the Sew Sweetness Aragon pattern found here. The fabrics are a black twill and Oregon State printed quilter's cotton. This pattern calls for Annie's Soft & Stable, but I substituted auto headliner fabric, as it is cheaper and what I had in my stash. I also substituted a med-weight fusible interfacing for the Pellon Shape-Flex, since I'm sewing from my stash and 3 hrs from a fabric store!

This is a large shoulder bag and will be gifted as a diaper bag to my Oregon State-loving cousin. It measures approx. 12" tall x 16" wide x 5.5" deep at the base with oodles of pockets! The outside features a zip pocket on the back side and two elasticized side pockets. I added black piping around the front main panels for extra detail and changed the magnetic snap to a swivel closure. The inside features a large double-pocket with top elastic, two side elasticized pockets and another large zippered pocket. I also added a key holder. The top closure is a large sport zipper. I omitted the back zipper flap as I wanted to show-off the orange zipper and contrasting pocket fabric.

Sara's instructions for bag construction were good, as always. I did struggle with putting this one together, though. Instead of constructing inner & outer bags and sewing them together, this one is constructed with an inside exposed seam, then the inside seam is hidden with bias tape. It was a challenge attaching the bias tape to such a large seam, but I slowly got it done. The bias finish is not as neat as I prefer, but it is mostly hidden in the bag corners.

I hope Rachelle and baby Jackson enjoy this bag. I am happy with the results. I didn't want the orange camo print to be overwhelming and think I accomplished this. Check out all the beautiful bags entered into Purse Palooza 2013 at Sew Sweetness here.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Rosie Crossbody Bag from Swoon Patterns, formerly Paco Bean patterns, is my 4th bag of Purse Palooza 2013. This was my first Paco Bean/Swoon pattern and I am in love with the results!

The Rosie bag is a medium-sized bag, approx 8" long x 11" wide x 4" deep. It has a large front flap closure with a magnetic snap, two zippered pockets and an adjustable strap for crossbody or shoulder lengths. The Rosie bag is suitable for beginner bag-makers and took about 4 hrs of cutting & sewing time.

The only modifications I made to the bag itself was adding a patch pocket and key ring clip opposite of the inside zip. I did modify the construction of the zippered pockets, as I prefer to layer the pocket fabric on the bag fabric while sewing the zip opening, as shown in this tutorial. There are not as many pictures with the sewing instructions as some other patterns provide, so novice bag-makers may need to reference other photo tutorials if the written instructions are not clear.

This Rosie will be a Christmas gift. I can see more Rosie bags in my future!

Purse Palooza 2013 is coming to an end soon. Hop over to Sew Sweetness to see all the beautiful bags entered, read lots of great bag reviews and pattern giveaways.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

It's Purse Palooza time at Sew Sweetness! I hope you are following along and enjoying all the purse reviews as much as I am. This is a great excuse to sew some bags for myself and gift-giving. Here's my third bag, the Rockin' Guitar bag.

I wish I had the patience to add some more details to my guitar front, but overall I am really happy with the bag. Inside, there is a zippered pocket, patch pocket and key holder loop. I also added a magnetic closure and adjustable strap so it can be worn cross-body or over the shoulder.

The Bored & Crafty guitar bag has little depth, so I added a 3" strip between my front & back panels for depth. I used home decor weight fabrics and Pellon 70 to line the outer fabric. I used a fusible woven interfacing on the lining, so this bag stands at attention!

Abby is begging to keep this one and the neighbor girl wants one for Christmas. Sounds like I will be making more!

The Fylerion bag pattern is a FREE pattern, tutorial and video tutorial from Sew Sweetness. I've had this one bookmarked for awhile and thought it would be a good size and shape for a special lady's Christmas gift. Like many Sew Sweetness bags, it is large, measuring 10"long x 15" wide x 2-3" deep....perfect for bringing along lots of stuff!

Back side

This is a great pattern to customize. To add some extra detailing, I made piping for the front & back accent pieces. I also added an interior zippered pocket in addition to the patch pocket and switched the single strap to these great purse handles that I've had in my stash for over a year. I think they are very classy and make my Fylerion fancy :)

Piping detail and magnetic snap closure

Double patch pocket

Inside zippered pocket and key holder

Sara's instructions were easy to follow and the video tutorial is great for beginners. This is a pattern I will be using again because it is easy to personalize and has a great size and shape. The magnetic snap closure is a favorite of mine because it is simple and works well. Check out the Fylerion Bag pattern & tutorial at Sew Sweetness here to make one of your own. This one will be a great Christmas gift!

I also hope you are following along at Purse Palooza 2013. I have been enjoying the bag reviews and am finding some new purse designers. I'd love to hear some of your favorite free purse tutorials. Happy Sewing!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Sara at Sew Sweetness is hosting Purse Palooza 2013 through October. I love to make bags and needed to start Christmas gifts, so here is my first Purse Palooza bag - the Dot Dot Dash bag from the Sew Sweetness Shop.

Dot Dot Dash bag by Sew Sweetness Pattern Shop

This is a big tote-style bag featuring five front zipper compartments. Notice the curved accents on the lower front panel also have zippers! The top also has a recessed zipper and an adjustable strap lets you wear this one cross-body if desired. I recently won a few patterns from the Sew Sweetness shop and this was one that I chose.

I have been hoarding this pink, girly skull fabric that I purchased on clearance from JoAnn Fabrics last year at a clearance sale. I believe it was a bottom-weight apparel fabric, but I purchased it with a cool bag in mind. I thought the fun zippered Dot Dot Dash pattern would be perfect with this fabric and am totally pleased with the result.

I really like the zippered top closure. I used a longer separating zipper and tucked the end between the lining and outer fabrics before finishing the bag. I struggled to get the top zip fabric corners to match exactly, so there is some pleating in those corners, but the zip functions perfectly despite not looking quite perfect.

The front zips went in easily and Sara does a good job explaining how to insert those long zippers. I thought about omitting the corner piece zips, but am glad I added them. It would be a good place to put some ear buds or a flash drive. The corner accents on the back are simply sewn in place.

The inside of the bag pattern did not include any pockets, so I added a double-patch pocket and key ring clip to one side and a large pocket on the opposite side. I tend to carry my Kindle, water & snacks along with my wallet and essentials, the the big pocket at the bottom will help keep me organized. I also really like the sliding strap feature so this bag can be adjusted for shoulder-bag or cross-body wearing.

As you can see, this is a big bag at about 15" long x 13" wide x 4" deep at the bottom. It will be hard to give this one away, I love it so much!

Check out the Sew Sweetness blog during October for daily (Mon-Fri) bag reviews and giveaways. Thanks, Sara, for writing a great pattern! I will be making more Dot Dot Dash bags in the future.